As an investment, gold is best known as a safe-haven asset, meaning an asset whose value will be largely unaffected even in uncertain times. It can be bought relatively easily and can also be converted into cash without too much trouble. Gold's prices also appreciate well, although not as spectacularly as other assets such as Bitcoin. If you do want a dependable and safe investment, gold is for you.
Not all investors, however, are convinced that gold is a good investment. And they may have a point: Unlike other tradeable items like stocks and bonds, a commodity item like gold doesn't pay dividends or interests. The only time you'll profit from gold is if you sold them at a higher price than you bought them. So, if you have invested in gold, how would you get the most out of your investment, besides waiting for an opportune moment to sell?
It turns out there are other ways than just waiting for the price of gold to go up.
Making The Most Of Your Gold Investment
Gold is a safe investment-this is one of the first things that investors learn about gold. Your wealth's purchasing power is preserved with gold as your portfolio's anchor. That's gold's strength. 'Invest in gold' is usually one of the pieces of advice that many money managers will give to investors who want security and protection for their nest egg.
So, if you want to get the best out of your gold investment, take advantage of gold's strongest suit. And this means protecting your portfolio. You can do this through the following:
1. Diversify
Gold can be a steadying influence on your portfolio when the stock market is beset by crisis after crisis. It can also serve as insurance to your nest egg at a time when inflation eats away at other investments, such as real estate and currency. As to how much percentage of your portfolio should be invested in gold, that would depend on how much risk you can tolerate, or the economic prognosis.
Many financiers estimate that an investment of 5% to 10% of your portfolio can be a sufficient safety net in case the economy goes on a tailspin. However, an investor who doesn't like risks and prefers safety over profit can allocate a larger percentage to the yellow metal. With a diversified portfolio, your fortune won't be subject to the whims of an uncertain economy. You won't lose too much of your assets the next time there's an economic downturn.
Putting your eggs in one basket is tempting, but the world is very unpredictable. If you have all your investments in only one commodity or item, you might be vulnerable. Hedging your bets is a good idea in terms of protecting your capital. Diversification, with gold serving as your anchor, could be better for you in the long run.
2. Reduce Risk
Some savvy finance managers use an investment strategy called dollar-cost averaging. By using this strategy, not only can you reduce the cost you pay for your investment, but you can also minimize risk as well. Dollar-cost averaging allows you to purchase smaller amounts at set intervals regardless of the price. Your risk is minimized, and you can also make the most out of the yellow metal's protection against economic downturns and inflations.
It can give you flexibility and a sound strategy as well especially in times of volatility. Gold investors often decide to make a one-time purchase whenever gold's prices go down, then wait until prices increase for their payoff.
Gold may be a rock-solid commodity, but it's still subject to market forces and can sometimes experience volatility. With dollar-cost averaging, you don't have to make a single purchase to invest; you can instead try investing a set amount on a staggered basis, on a schedule that you set.
3. Get A Gold IRA
A gold IRA (Individual Retirement Account) is an excellent choice to diversify your portfolio and make the most out of your investment. It can be advantageous because it allows you to deduct contributions from your income tax return. What's more, an IRA is tax-deferred, which means you'll only be taxed on your revenues if you decide to withdraw them.
This type of retirement account also gives more flexibility to account holders because unlike a regular retirement account, a gold IRA allows them to diversify their assets to other precious metals such as silver or platinum. An investment that's spread out lessens the chances of your nest egg taking a major hit in times of economic instability.
Final Thoughts
Investing in gold is for people who want long-term protection for their nest egg. It's a safe way of parking your capital. Gold as an investment, however, doesn't generate revenues, unlike stocks and bonds. What it can offer is security. So, to get the best out of your gold investment, you can try to diversify your investment, minimize risks through cost averaging, or get a gold IRA.
Since gold's strength is protection, you can take advantage of this and let gold do what it does best-which is to safeguard your investment.
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of realtytoday.com
